David Gravette started coming to the Issaquah Skate Park in about 1999. From there, it took him 15 years of skateboarding to earn a silver medal at the Munich 2013 X-Games.

The contest was Real Street. Sixteen competing skateboarders each put together 60-second videos containing clips of their skateboarding, including tricks like grinding rails, nose grabs and flips. In addition to winning silver for the video itself, Gravette won the online competition for Fan Favorite with 66 percent of the vote.

Video by Carson LeeDavid Gravette masters an urban landscape obstacles in a scene from his Real Street X Games Munich video submission in June.

Austin Fischer, one of his skateboarding friends, said that in Gravette’s beginning months at the skate park, they didn’t talk much. Fischer remembers seeing Gravette around the park and being able to recognize his face. It was not until May 1, 2000, that both skateboarders received sponsorship from the skate shop Extremely Board. As two of a total of five picked, the two grew closer as they worked for their sponsor and improved their sport.